Since February 2014, the SBU investigators have initiated and investigated more than 23,000 criminal cases for crimes related to Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

This was stated by the SBU Head Ivan Bakanov during the meeting of heads of law enforcement agencies related to investigations into crimes committed during the armed conflict.

"The SBU systematically protects the national interests and Ukrainian state security. Currently, our units are investigating almost 2,000 criminal cases related to Russian armed aggression and war crimes," stressed Ivan Bakanov.

According to him, over the past seven years, the SBU solved more than 3,500 criminal cases and referred these cases to court. "Since February 2014, the SBU investigators have served notices of suspicion to more than 6,000 individuals, including 261 Russian citizens. More than 3,500 criminal proceedings were referred to courts, and more than 1,200 persons have already been found guilty,” added Ivan Bakanov.

Along with that, the SBU Head emphasized that investigating of such crimes is complicated due to temporary occupation of territories and hostilities in eastern Ukraine. This makes it impossible for investigators and prosecutors to have physical access to documents and persons in separatist-held territories.

"Proper work of Ukrainian law enforcement will facilitate the International Criminal Court to bring to justice Russian high-ranking officials and RLF leaders," stressed Ivan Bakanov.

Ivan Bakanov also noted that reforming of the pre-trial investigation bodies had already begun within the SBU. In particular, it is planned to create specialized units at the SBU Offices in Donetsk and Luhansk regions in order to investigate crimes committed during the armed conflict.